Galaxy official says Beckham will play in exhibition at USD

There is no contractual stipulation, no specific language, no special appearance fee that David Beckham must play in the exhibition Wednesday night at USD’s Torero Stadium between the Los Angeles Galaxy and the Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles de Caliente.

But here’s a pretty big hint:

“He’s definitely coming,” said Tom Payne, the Galaxy’s president of business operations who helped set up the game. “We are bringing the entire team and we expect our first team to play in that game, and that includes David Beckham.”

As recently as a few weeks ago, there was some question whether Beckham would even be with the Galaxy this month. He spent the winter in London, practicing with English Premier League club Tottenham while trying to arrange a loan deal through mid-March and perhaps longer.

“I could have sat on a beach somewhere, that was always an option,” said Beckham, 35. “But at my age and at this stage of my career, I can’t afford to take three months’ holiday.”

The loan ultimately fell through, and Beckham agreed to rejoin the Galaxy last Thursday. The Tijuana Xolos exhibition is the only true preseason game — in a stadium with ticket-buying fans — before the March 15 MLS opener, and coach Bruce Arena is eager to mesh Beckham with a largely retooled roster that, among others, now includes San Dieguito High alum Frankie Hejduk.

It would be the first, and likely last, appearance by Beckham here. This is his final season of a five-year contract in Major League Soccer, and the world’s most recognizable soccer player has expressed desire to return to Europe and — in a perfect world — England’s national team for the 2012 European Cup.

Normally, the Galaxy charge what Payne characterized as a “substantial fee” for an exhibition game that guarantees an appearance by Becks. But in this case, the Galaxy merely wanted a preseason game with stadium-like conditions (as opposed to a closed-door scrimmage) and San Diego fans are the lucky beneficiaries.

“To be honest,” Payne said, “this was more important for the coaches and the team than as a business opportunity.”

Which is another way of saying: Don’t read too much into it.

There is speculation about Beckham’s apparent option to purchase an MLS team once he finishes his contract, coupled with the regular rumors about San Diego being a prime MLS expansion candidate.

“Somebody asked me the other day if this is a test of some sort, and it’s not,” Payne said. “I don’t work for the league and I’m not trying to test out the market. It’s just an area where we have a substantial number of fans, and it’s close to us. We’ve been wanting to play a game there for a long time.”

If there is a club trying to gain traction in the market, it’s the Xolos. This is their first game on this side of the border in front of paying customers.

The Xolos currently play in Mexico’s de facto second division, the Liga de Ascenso. But they are champions of the split season’s first half and are thus guaranteed a spot in a two-team playoff this spring for promotion to the famed Premier League alongside Club America and Chivas of Guadalajara.

Tickets start at $25 and are available at the Jenny Craig Pavilion box office. Kickoff is 7 p.m.